Flat sheet delivery for web printing rotary presses



H. M. BARBER Jan, 4, 1938.

FLAT SHEET DELIVERY FOR WEB PRINTING ROTARY PRESSES Filed May 20, 1956 2 Sheets- Sheet 1 INVENTOR WWW nNN ATTORN EYS Jam. 4, 1938. H. M. BARBER 2,104,573

FLAT SHEET DELIVERY FOR WEB PRINTING ROTARY PRESSES Filed May 20, 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR ATTOR NEYS Patented Jan. 4, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE FLAT SHEET DELIVERY FOR WEB PRINTING ROTARY PRESSES Howard Barber, Pawcatuck, Conn, assignor to 'c'. B. Qottrell & Sons Company, Westerly, R. 1., a eorporation of Delaware Application May 20, 1936, Serial 80,667

6 Claims.

5 My invention comprises, generally, means for,

to move rapidly out of the path of the oncoming.

15 web; the lower nipper serving to act as a drag for retarding the sheet to permit it to fall upon the pile with slight momentum.

A practical embodiment of my invention is represented in the accompanying drawings, in

20 which Fig. 1 represents a diagrammatic side view of a web printing rotary press with my improved flat sheet delivery applied thereto; and

' Fig. 2 represents an enlarged detail side elevation of the delivery.

The printing unit is shown as comprising an impression cylinder I and its coacting form cylinders 2, 3, 4, 5. The travelingweb is d'enoted'by 6 and the sheets cut therefrom by 1, which sheets goto make up the flat sheet delivery pile 8. The web travels around the rolls 9 and l on its way toand from the printing unit.

The horizontally disposed endless carrier II is shown as of the well known side chain type and 5 it is provided with pairs of side grippers I2 spaced apart and arranged to be operated in the usual manner by the cams l3 for grasping the web as it leaves the printing unit and forward the web between coacting rotary cutters I4, I5 40 where the sheets I are severed from the web. It will be understood that these side grippers l2 retain their engagement with the leading ends of the sheets 1 until time to deliver them, when the grippers l2 are opened by the usual cams 45 I6 for releasing the sheets.

Means are provided for depressing the tail ends of the sheets I as they approach the sheet delivery pile 8 and for retarding the sheets to permit their proper deposit flat upon the pile, which 50 means is constructed, arranged and operated as follows:

Upper and lower coacting rotary and oscillating nippers are employed. The rotary upper nipper comprises a cross shaft I! having fixed 55 thereto a crank arm "3. A two armed spring pressed adjustable nipper roller lever is pivoted on the crank arm I8, the arrn 19 of which lever carries the nipper roller 29 and the arm 2 l o f which lever carries an adjusting screw ZZbearing against the nipper crank arm [8 for adjusting 5;, the normal position of the nipper roller 20. A spring 23 is interposed betweenthe crank arm l8 and the nipper lever arm 19 for urging the roller 20 outwardly.

The oscillating lower nipper comprises a cross shaft 24 which carries an uprising nipper arm 25 fast thereon and having an'extended sheet con; tacting surface 26 for coaction with theroller Z10 of the rotary upper nipper. This lower'r'iipperl arm 25 is oscillated from the upper nipper'cross l5, shaft IT through the 'crank disc 2?, connecting rod 28 and rock arm 29, which rock arm is'ldose ly mounted on the cross shaft 24 and is connected through an adjusting device including a screw 30 with an arm'3l fixed on the cross shaft '24 and thereby fixedly connectedto the lower nip} per arm for adjusting the position of the said lower nipper with respect to the upperriippr. The screw is rotatably supportedon the arm 31 and threadedly engages a lug on the reel; arm ',9- he'up e ni per is r tate 0 1. add the lower nipper is oscillated once, for every length of sheet as follows:'

A sprocket wheel 32 which is mounted on a cross shaft 33 is driven by one of the side chains 30 of'the endless carrier H which cross shaft '9". gear 34 meshing with a gear 35 011 the-cross shaft 36. An elliptical gear 31 on the cross shaft 36 drives an elliptical gear 38 on the upper nipper cross shaft IT. This train of gears not only 35 permits the upper nipper to be rotated once for every length of sheet and the lower nipper oscillated once for every length of sheet but it also varies the movement of the said nippers. This variation in the circular movement of the upper 40 nipper 20 permits the upper nipper to be speeded up and slowed down during its rotation so that the nipper roller 20 may be caused to travel faster in its circular path at the time it is depressing the sheet into contact with the lower nipper and when it is leaving the sheet, thus keeping the upper nipper roller 20 out oftthe way of the leading edge of the advancing web.

The grippers 12 on the endless carrier are caused to travel at the surface speed of the printing unit, as, for instance, by operatively connecting the impression cylinder gear 39 through the gears 40, 4| with the gear 42 on the inner cross shaft 43 of the endless carrier l I.

In operation, the relative positions of the upwhat I claim is:

per and lower nippers should first be adjusted to correspond with the length of sheet to be handled. The printed web 6 as it leaves the roll 10 of the printing unit is engaged by a pair of side grippers l2 on the endless carrier II and advanced through the coacting rotary cutters l4,

l5. passed through the cutters the sheet is severed from the web, the grippers I 2 retaining their grasp on the side edges of the leading end of the sheet until time for releasing the sheet to deliver the same, As the tail end Cof. the sheet .reaches a point between the upper and lower nippers the roller 20 of the upper nipper which is moved downwardly and outwardly atan increased speed will come into contact with the upper face of the sheet at its tail end and depress it into con;-

tact with the surface 26 of the outwardly moving lower nipper as the grippers l2 release the leading end of the sheet. The roller 20 then rolls ofi the sheet and moves forwardly and upwardly at a surface speed sufiicient to keep it out of the way of the advancing web. The lower nipper because of its slower oscillating movement will retard the sheet and finally permit the sheet to drop upon the pile as the lower nipper moves rearwardly to" complete its oscillating movement. 'It is-evident that various changes may be resorted to in the construction, form and arrangement of the several parts without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention, and hence I do not intend to be limited to the particular embodiment herein shown and described, but

a 1. In asheet delivery mechanism for printing presses, means forjadvancing the sheets, means for releasing the sheets at their delivery point, coa'cting rotary and oscillating nippers for depressing the tail ends of the sheets and thereafter positively retarding the sheets as they are released, and means for varying the speed of movement of the nippers.

In a sheet delivery mechanism for printing presses, means foradvancing the sheets, means for releasing the sheets at their delivery point, coacting rotary and oscillating nippers for depressing the tail ends of the sheets and thereafter positively retarding the sheets as they are After. a suflicient length of the web has,

preach, depress and leave the tail end of the sheet.

3. In a sheet delivery mechanism for printing presses, an endless carrier, means thereon for advancing the sheets, means for releasing the sheets at their delivery point, and means for depressing the tail ends of the sheets and thereafter positively retarding the sheets as they are released, said means comprising an oscillating lower nipper, a rotary upper nipper coacting therewith and mechanism for imparting a variable speed to the nippers. 1

4.'In a sheet delivery mechanism for printing presses, an endless carrier, means thereon for advancing the sheets, means for releasing the sheets at their delivery point, and means for depressing'the tail ends of the sheets and thereafter positively retarding the sheets as they are released, said means comprising an oscillating lower nipper, a rotary upper nipper having a spring pressed roller coacting with the lower nipper and mechanism for imparting a variable speed to the nippers.

5. In a sheet delivery mechanism for printing presses, an endless carrier, grippers thereon for advancing the sheets, means operating on the grippers for releasing the sheets at their delivery point, and means for depressing the tail ends of the sheets and thereafter positively retarding the sheets as they are released from the carrier grippers, said means comprising an oscillating lower nipper and a rotary upper nipper having a spring pressed roller coacting with the lower nipper and means for adjusting the position of the said oscillating lowernipper with respect to the upper nipper.

6. In a sheet delivery mechanism for printing presses, an endless carrier, grippers thereon for advancing the sheets, means operating on the grippers for releasing the sheets at their delivery point, andmeans for depressing the tail ends of the sheetsand thereafter positively retarding thesheets as they are released from the carrier grippers, said meanscomprising an oscillating lower nipper and a rotary upper nipper having aspring pressed roller coacting with the lower nipper and means for adjusting the normal' position'of 1the said rotary upper nipper and separate .means for adjusting the position of the said oscillating lowernipper with respect to the-upper nipper.

HOWARD M. BARBER. 

